I think we do… What do you think? (comment below)
I’ve been in Supply Chain and Logistics for a long time now, 35+ years. Sometimes I think that must makes me a dinosaur.You know what I mean?
Do we over complicate supply chain?
Out-dated, not keeping up with the latest ‘thing’. Too old to learn ‘new tricks’? Maybe I’m not that old yet.
But the more time I spend in this industry, consulting with clients, attending and speaking at industry events, the more I think we are often victims of industry ‘Hype’. OK what I do mean by that?
95% of the Supply Chain and Logistics issues I see in organisations today, are the same issues I saw 20 years ago. And the solutions are basically the same! Sure there are advances in IT and technology that help. Help a lot in fact. And the level of Supply Chain and Logistics knowledge is far greater now than 20 years ago. But fundamentally, the issues and solutions are the same….
Sure, you could argue that it’s merely my reticular activating system (RAS) at work here. I’m so hard wired to see only certain issues, those are the only ones I see. Maybe…. But I don’t thing so.
Now this view does not go down well with certain sectors of our industry.
Like Conference organisers for example, who want to put on events show casing the latest and greatest ‘thing’, and run around in circles trying to find speakers who can reveal the ‘thing’ to their audiences.
It’s sad but true. But many conference organisers actually know little about the industry that their conference is trying to appeal to. I know, I’ve dealt with most of them over the years….
What the poor conference delegates end up with, is a conference full of speakers talking about the latest ‘thing’, which of course is very interesting, but walking away without any solutions to their own burning issues.
If you are fortunate like I am, to deal with senior executives of many different organisations every week, you soon learn to deal with the industry ‘Hype’. You take a look, as you should, and try to figure out if this is actually anything new, or old solutions to old problems just repackaged.
Reflect on your Supply Chain
So think about your own organisation for a moment. Or maybe an organisation you used to work for?
Is your Supply Chain really that complicated? Has it become more complicated over recent years? Are there things that impact your Supply Chain now, that didn’t even exist 10 years ago?
Or are the issues you are trying to grapple with, fundamentally the same type of issues you have always tried to resolve?
Do please comment below…
P.S. To me, good Supply Chain management is about ‘course correction’.
Like the Captain of a Ship or an Airliner, we need to have a very clear idea of where we are going. And then adjust for the changes in external conditions and other factors that will impact us reaching our objective on time.
P.P.S. For those coming to our next Free Seminars, we might debate this for a few minutes…. www.logisticsbureau.com/7-supply-chain-sins-clinic/
